It's still a slur

Whenever people in positions of power, such as a mayor, attempt to validate offensive slang, we should speak up. Belmar's mayor apparently thought that just because there was a website dubbed for "guidos," it would be okay if he used the word in a letter to his community. He should have done his homework before sharing his remarks.

Most Americans of Italian descent are offended by the word because it is a stereotype. Wikipedia defines it as "slang, referring to young men of lower and working class backgrounds . . . Mostly from New York and New Jersey, the guido stereotype is humorously and incorrigibly uncultured and thuggish and has an overtly macho attitude, along with an unyielding pride in his Italian ancestry."

The n-word has been used frequently in songs and dialogue in the black hip-hop culture. However, its use in this subculture has not altered its vile meaning in any way. Any slur has only one purpose: to disparage and belittle. Words created by bigotry, hatred and ignorance become the most dangerous to our society when we attempt to minimize or mask their meaning.